Carlos Lee

Mets 6, Phillies 5: The R.A. Dickey vs. Cole Hamels matchup didn’t pan out as some expected, but David Wright took care of things, going 3 for 5 with four RBI including the game winner. Cardinals 6, Rockies 2: Lance Lynn had been skidding but the Rockies cured his ills. The Rockies cure everyone’s ills.…

One would assume that the Astros had to eat a lot of money in order to trade Carlos Lee. And ate it they did. Almost all of it. Jon Heyman reports that the Marlins are only playing the pro-rated minimum salary for Lee for the remainder of the season, leaving Houston on the hook for…

This is kind of funny. Yesterday it was Buster Olney who broke the Carlos Lee trade. Jon Heyman was not aware of it, however. This series of tweets came an hour after Buster broke the news: Hearing #marlins to get carlos lee. Believed to be sending a minor leaguer or 2 to houston — Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) July…

Gaby Sanchez not only lost his starting job in Wednesday afternoon’s Carlos Lee deal. He was also stripped of his major league roster spot. According to beat writer Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, the Marlins optioned Sanchez down to Triple-A New Orleans less than 20 minutes after their 7-6 extra-innings victory over the…

- It was obvious the Marlins had to upgrade. Gaby Sanchez looked like a borderline All-Star at this time last year, but he hit just .225/.320/.359 after the break, and even that would be a big improvement on his 2012 line of .194/.240/.283. He posted OPSs of .576 in April, .484 in May and .496…

UPDATE: Olney says the deal is done and Houston is getting minor leaguers Matt Dominguez, a third baseman and one-time top prospect whose stock has dropped, and Rob Rasmussen, a 2010 second-round pick with a chance to be a mid-rotation starter. All in all not a bad haul considering the Astros were just happy to…

By pursuing an ultimately unsuccessful trade for Carlos Lee the Dodgers made is obvious that they’re not happy with James Loney‘s production at first base, so when Loney told Don Mattingly that he feels ready to break out offensively the manager was understandably skeptical: He came into my office and he felt like he’s got…

Carlos Lee’s decision not to accept a trade to L.A. inspired reader sincitybonobo to ponder what it all means: I will preface this by saying he simply exercised an option that was available to him and broke no rules. However, at the tail end of a contract that he never came close to justifying, he…

Carlos Lee was picking his ranch over Hollywood. With Lee expected to use his partial no-trade clause to reject the deal, the Dodgers pulled out of the trade that would have brought Lee from Houston to Los Angeles, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports. The Dodgers were expected to send the Astros right-hander Garrett Gould in…

The Dodgers and Astros have agreed to a trade that would send Carlos Lee to Los Angeles in exchange for pitching prospect Garrett Gould. But Lee has a no-trade clause and isn’t quite sure he wants to go. The 36-year-old slugger told reporters after Saturday night’s 3-2 loss that he was planning to announce a decision at…

UPDATE: Lee told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart that he expects to make a decision Sunday. 1:43 PM: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that as of this early afternoon, Carlos Lee continues to tell the Astros that he will not waive his no-trade clause. Joining a contender should be a no-brainer, right? Not so easy. As Jon Paul Morosi…

Update 3: Rosenthal indicates that right-hander Garrett Gould could be the primary return if Carlos Lee is dealt to the Dodgers. Again, it’s highly unlikely Zach Lee would be involved in such a trade. Update 2: Olney confirms that it’s Carlos Lee that the Dodgers and Astros are discussing at the moment. Previous talks did involve…

From beat writer Brian McTaggart of MLB.com comes word that the Astros have activated veteran slugger Carlos Lee from the 15-day disabled list and optioned Brett Wallace back to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding 25-man roster move. Lee missed exactly 15 days with a strained left hamstring. He returns to a decent .297/.348/.411 slash line,…

Carlos Lee didn’t show much power for the Astros, homering just four times in 47 games before being placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury, but last night he went deep in the first game of his minor-league rehab assignment. Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports that Lee is rehabbing at Double-A…

Rockies 6, Diamondbacks 1: I took my bike out for a spin for the first time in a while last evening. It was a nice ride on a nice night. At least apart from the crazy, over-the-handlebars wreck I got into at the corner of Alpath and Johnston Road. There were no apparent injuries at…

I spent a lot of yesterday on Twitter talking about gay marriage. Short version: I’m pro-gay marriage. Exceedingly so, as I believe it a basic civil right to which I have yet to see any legitimate argument in opposition that comports with the civic culture and history of the United States. I got grouchy at…

Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2012 season. Up next: The departing ‘Stros. The Big Question: What will Houston’s farewell season in the National League look like? The short answer…

I was bored last night, so I asked for Twitter questions. As usual, you obliged. A pretty healthy Batman content too, so it’s almost like we’re in midseason form already. And I mentioned New Jack Swing when I sent out my call for questions, so there’s obviously some Bell Biv Devoe content. Which is how…

The 2012 Astros are pretty sure bets to lose 100 games, with the big question being whether they’ll top last year’s mark of 106 losses. That achievement will be tied to their ability to move the contracts of Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Carlos Lee. Ideally, they’d be able to sell off at least the…

With Albert Pujols and now Prince Fielder following Adrian Gonzalez to the American League, the NL has bled some remarkable talent at first base the last two winters. That’s one sure Hall of Famer and two more legitimate possibilities switching leagues while still in their primes. Left is Joey Votto and, well… Reds: Joey Votto…

ESPN’s Jayson Stark surmises that the mystery team chasing Albert Pujols is a club with an established first baseman that it would need to trade in order to make room for a shiny new three-time MVP. So, let’s run through the league to see who might qualify. I’ll exclude the Cardinals and Angels — the known…

7:13 p.m. EST update: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Astros tried to interest the Indians in Carlos Lee, but that even covering half of his $18 million salary wasn’t enough to tempt Cleveland. Lee does offer a solid right-handed bat, but he’d have to come in at significantly less than $9 million to…

Andrew Friedman officially withdrew his name from consideration for the Astros’ general manager search yesterday, releasing a statement that said he “chose not to be a part of the Astros’ process” and “it is in no way a reflection on the Houston organization.” Saying “it is in no way a reflection of the Houston organization”…

If the Astros have their way, their most expensive player in their final year in the National League could be rehabbing reliever Brandon Lyon. Even without a permanent general manager employed, the Astros are at the winter meetings shopping Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Carlos Lee, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. While Rodriguez is…

Jon Heyman reports that, in addition to Wandy Rodriguez, the Astros are shopping Brett Myers and Carlos Lee too. The problem, of course, is that all of those dudes are owed a lot of money. Both Rodriguez and Myers are owed in excess of $10 million a year for the next couple of years. Lee…